Four teens have been sentenced for a harrowing attack that saw them strip a young boy of his clothes before assaulting him.
The group of 17-year-old boys appeared before Manchester Crown Court on Monday, where the details of the ‘terrifying’ incident were recounted and the teenagers sentenced to 12 months each in a youth detention centre.
They will then follow a strict programme managed by the youth offending team on release.
The judge noted that the offenders, who pleaded guilty, would have faced around seven years in prison if they had been sentenced as adults.
The 17-year-old victim was left with injuries that required hospital treatment after the attack in an alleyway just off Featherstall Road North, Oldham, on the 21 June 2022.
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Featherstall Road North, Oldham. Credit: Google Maps
GMP’s Oldham CID established that the offenders had planned the attack and carried weapons to the scene.
Oldham’s Chief Superintendent Chris Bowen, said: “This attack in July was followed by several incidents of disorder in the Oldham area, including people’s homes and businesses being damaged.
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“In response, GMP worked around the clock with assistance from our partner agencies and local community leaders to prevent any further disorder and to make sure these teenagers were brought to justice.
“This was a premeditated and harrowing attack of a young boy who was stripped of his clothes before being badly assaulted by a group of people, which must have been terrifying. Our investigation team worked hard to identify those involved and bring them into custody.
“It is important to note that in the judges summing up of the case, he stated that the offenders would have likely received around seven years each in prison if they had been sentenced as adults, showing the severity of the incident.
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“I hope they reflect upon their behaviour while they are away from home for the next year and use the time to better themselves. We will not tolerate this type of violent crime in our local community.”
Featured image: Google Maps
Crime
Arrests made following Piccadilly Gardens fight that left several men with stab wounds
Emily Sergeant
A number of arrests have been made following reports of a fight in Piccadilly Gardens one night earlier this week.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that officers from the City Centre policing team responded to reports of a fight in Piccadilly Gardens at around 9:54pm on Tuesday (19 May 2026), and when they arrived at the scene, they discovered multiple people with stab wounds.
A man in his 20s was found at the scene by police with stab wounds and was taken to hospital for treatment.
A second man, in his 50s, was located nearby with a stab wound to his arm and was also taken to hospital, and a third man, also in his 20s, later attended Manchester Royal Infirmary with a stab wound to his back.
All three men have been arrested on suspicion of affray, GMP stated.
Officers do not believe there to be a wider threat to the public at this time, however the public is being told there will be an ‘increased police presence’ in the area as a precaution.
As enquiries continue at pace, detectives from the City of Manchester CID team are now appealing for information and witnesses.
“The use of knives or violence in our communities is completely unacceptable,” commented Detective Superintendent Ian McNabb, of GMP’s City of Manchester Central District. “Incidents like this are incredibly serious and can have devastating consequences.
“Our officers are working tirelessly in the city centre and across Greater Manchester to tackle this kind of offending and keep people safe.
“We will be relentless in our efforts to remove knives from our streets and to bring those who carry or use them to justice to prevent incidents like this happening.”
Can you help? Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, or via LiveChat online, quoting log 3667 of 19/05/2026.
Featured Image – GMP
Crime
Bury primary school teaching assistant jailed after pleading guilty to child sex offences
Emily Sergeant
A teaching assistant from Bury has been sentenced after pleading guilty to multiple sex offences against a ‘vulnerable’ young boy.
Terri Cook, of Masefield Avenue in Radcliffe, appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last week, where she was sentenced after pleading guilty to eight charges of sexual offences.
The sentencing came after officers from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Child Protection Investigation Unit (CPIU) began in ‘intense’ investigation into Cook back in September of last year after a member of the public reported seeing her out with a young boy.
The subsequent investigation showed that she had been grooming and manipulating the young boy into engaging in a sexual relationship with her.
Police found numerous messages on Cook’s phone where she had been inciting sexual communications with the boy and holding indecent images of him, and she was also found to have been buying him expensive items, like jewellery and clothing, for a period of more than nine months.
During a powerful statement read out in court, the young boy was described as being ‘extremely kind and caring’, with his mum adding: “Despite experiencing traumatic events earlier in his life, he continued to be positive and compassionate. He smiled every day and made us all laugh.”
Cook was sentenced four-and-a-half years in prison for eight charges of sexual offences.
Speaking following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Adam Stanfield, from GMP’s Bury CPIU, said: “This case was a horrific example of calculated abuse of power, and Cook targeted a vulnerable child who put his trust in her.
“Grooming is a form of manipulation that can leave lasting emotional and psychological damage, and our priority remains protecting young people and supporting victims as they recover.
“This sentencing also emphasises our unwavering commitment to protecting male victims. They can be victims too and I urge anyone who believes they may have been through anything similar to please report to us.”
Daisy Jackson -
1st December 2022 
